Study Partner
by archinodo
Summary: When Hermione has loads to do, Ron offers to help her. What is the reason behind this unusual behavior? One-shot.


**Second fic :) I just wanted to write something nice n' cute and not get into the details too much x) Hope you like it :) Review please, it would help me a lot :)**

* * *

**Study Partner**

_To brew a Gastritis Remedy, you need three spoonfuls of..._

"-Ron, could you please shut up?" I whisper, exasperated. He has been muttering all evening about how unfair it was that the Slytherins got 20 house points just because Pansy had repeated louder what I had said. Of course, I am also pissed about this and his behavior makes me feel a bit better, but I really need some silence to be able to finish my muggle potions essay.

"-Why do you always have to finish your homework as fast as possible? If I remember well, you said it wasn't due until Tuesday and we're kind of Wednesday today... Plus, you know you'll get a perfect mark again, you know everything about muggles!"

I want to respond angrily but I can't. The fact that he praised my intelligence makes me go temporarily inoffensive and silent.

"-For once, you've got to admit that I'm right", he says. I can understand by his intonation that he's teasing me; he knows very well that I hate being wrong.

"-Whatever." I try to sound annoyed but he notices that I'm not really mad, so he smiles.

I love the way he reads through me.

* * *

It's Friday evening and it seems like all the teachers thought that overloading us with homework would be a great plot twist for the weekend. Well, I guess it makes things worse that because I chose the advanced class for almost all the subjects, I get ten times more homework. I start hyperventilating when I realise that there is no way all these essays can be finished during one weekend, even if I work 24 hours non-stop.

Suddenly, I hear a loud thump caused by a pile of books being put down at the other end of the table. Ron sits down next to me and I wonder why he brought all those books with him: he doesn't have a lot of homework and he usually does it on Sunday nights, at the last moment. Not that I stalk him or anyth-

"-So, this is the book you need for your Arithmancy essay, he starts. I asked Mrs. Pince what would be the best books for the Muggle Studies and Advanced Potions essays and she gave me those. Now for Charms, I thought I could help you because we're both taking it and I've got loads of free time and you seem to have loads to do." He blurts this all out while fiddling with one of the books.

Usually, I would have rejected any form of help, but again this wasn't a normal amount of homework that I had to complete.

"-Ron, why are you doing this for me?" I ask, quite confused. He's usually the one trying to make me study less…

He stays silent for a few seconds, not knowing how to respond.

"-Because I'm your friend."

Somehow, it seems like we are both dissatisfied with this answer.

"-Thanks."

I love the way he helps me out when I need it most.

* * *

We ended up working late on Friday, the whole of Saturday and almost fell asleep at 7 p.m. that day. But we had achieved the impossible: all of our essays were finished. I couldn't have done it without his help.

We were both sitting on the sofa, finishing off and making last moment changes. When we were done, Ron yawned and leaned down on the sofa. He gently wrapped his arms around my waist and put his head on my shoulder. At first, I remained still, I really didn't know how to react. Slowly, I put my arm around him and started gently stroking his hair. It's only after a few minutes that I noticed that he had fallen asleep. His regular and slow breathing relaxed me.

At one moment, when I was starting to doze off, I heard him mutter in his sleep:

"-Hermione...Hogsmeade…With me?..."

I don't remember anything after that.

* * *

It was Sunday morning and I went to the Dining Hall to eat my breakfast. There was hardly anyone from my year there: I didn't understand what the reason was. Then I remembered that I wasn't the only one who had been given loads of homework to do. Well, I was finished, that was the good thing.

After a few minutes, Ron came to sit next to me. He seemed quite nervous.

"-Hermione….I was thinking, would you, like, want to go to Hogsmeade with me today? We could go to the Three Broomsticks and hang out or something…"

I suppressed a knowing smile. So that's why he had helped me with my work: he had wanted to make sure that I would be free today.

"-Of course Ron, I would love to."

With that, I lightly peck him on the cheek and go to the dormitories to change, leaving a slightly shocked teenager behind.

I like him.


End file.
